JD Ferris

Alex Smith almost died. The former #1 draft pick of the 49ers had one of the most gruesome leg injuries one could have. Two weeks later, as he was lying in the hospital, the doctor told him the news. “As we speak, flesh-eating bacteria is crawling up your leg. It is getting closer to your vital organs every minute.” For many years before and after his injury, Fear, Anxiety, and Self-Doubt dominated his life. Yet, two years later, he was back on the field and led his team to the NFL playoffs. How did he overcome this incredible adversity? Here are 4 lessons learned from his amazing Ted Talk. The full Ted Talk of Alex sharing his story is at the end of this post… #1: Accept the Struggle It took quite some time for Alex Smith to accept his injury. He could not even look at his leg. The first step to overcoming adversity is to accept it. Accept the Struggle. That allows the mind to move forward. No matter the challenge, choose to accept it and make the most out of it. #2: Fear and Anxiety are Man-Made Alex Smith lived much of his life with self-doubt, fear, and anxiety. He went from an under-recruited high school player to the number-one draft pick in the NFL in a short time. He was constantly asking himself if he was good enough. Things changed for him once he tuned out the outside noise and focused on living in the present. #3: Believe in Yourself You need to please only one person in this world: yourself. Comparison is the thief of joy, and you will never be able to please others. It took Alex Smith a while to ignore the negative thoughts and to live in the present. His wife, some special teammates, and an eccentric coach were instrumental in this turnaround. #4: Just Live One of the great stories in this video comes from one of Alex Smith’s teammates. A “maniac linebacker” who would go up to players before every game and yell, “I am going to live today, are you?” He taught Alex how to live in the moment and celebrate each day. So much of life is learning how to deal with our own self-doubt. Most of us will never have to deal with the adversity that Alex Smith did. But we can all learn incredibly valuable lessons from his experience. Watch the full TED talk video below. It will inspire you. “Embrace the new, no matter how uncomfortable, and make it work for you.” - Alex Smith ----- Follow me @gregberge for Actionable Ideas on Coaching, Leadership, Culture, and Teams. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter: gregberge.beehiiv.com